AiA 138 Progressive Web Apps with Houssein Djirdeh

Progressive Web Apps with Houssein Djirdeh

On today’s episode, Charles Max Wood, Joe Eames, and Alyssa Nicoll discuss Progressive Web Apps with Houssein Djirdeh. Houssein is a front-end engineer based in Toronto. He works for Rangle.io where he builds mobile web apps strictly focused on JavaScript. Stay tuned to learn more about the web apps he is working on and what he's currently up to!

Overview of Progressive Web Apps

Progressive web apps are basically those that provide a better user experience similar to that of a native app, using newer technologies. It's not simply black and white because it has a wide scope of things you can add to your app. If you want to make apps progressive, you can do so.

When mobile users view the web through the browsers, they spend so much time because web pages are generally slow. Powerful desktop machines and laptops usually have fast and reliable internet connections, but mobile devices aren't and internet connections can even become non-existent. Browsers add new tools that can be added to the web app to improve user experience whatever device is used.

Characteristics of PWAs

There are things that progressive web apps have in common. They work for every user and browser. Also, they are responsive and work in different speed sizes, making users to directly access the URL.

These tools let you install apps to your home screen with an icon. It works with poor connections and even when there is no internet at all. Push notifications can also be added and background thinking as well. Basically, it simply aims to make native apps feel native.

“What progressive web apps are trying to do is to sort of allow you to add functionality to a web app.” – Houssein Djirdeh

PWAs on iPhone and Android

With iPhones, you can simply open up the settings and add an app to your home screen. Few icons, specific meta tags, and XHTML just need to be set up. Things can be a do-it-yourself action.

On the other hand with android, a little banner pops up when you add some stuff from the web page. This banner suggests to the user that the web page may be added to his home screen. That's how it provides a better user experience.

To hear more about Progressive Web Apps with Houssein Djirdeh, download and listen to the entire episode. Connect with Houssein on Twitter and Github. He would surely love to hear from you! Don't forget to tell him that you heard about him on Devchat.tv.